Title: "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
Author: April Richards
Fandom: "Voltron: Defender of the Universe"
Rating: M (for language, sexual situations)
Category: Keith/Allura, Drama/Angst, Humor, Romance, WAY WAY A/U
Summary: After a massive attack by Prince Lotor, Keith faces the traumas of his childhood.
Author's Notes: *text between * means internal thoughts*. "*text between "*" means conversation over a phone or communicator or some such device.*" I am "updating" "Voltron" and giving the characters things like mp3 players, CDs, cars, and clubs. I figure a planet and century that has something like Voltron, there's no reason why Princess Allura can't have an iPod. ;) Also the poems/songs "You Fight" and "Midnight Sentinels" were written by me and don't use them with out my permission.
Disclaimer: Voltron is owned by World Events Productions, ltd. And "Wake me up when September ends", "Jesus of Suburbia", and "American Idiot" are owned and sung by Green Day and are on their "American Idiot" CD. I am using both with out their permission and I am making no money off this. Thank you very much.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Keith's eyes widened and the rest of the Voltron Force laughed. "Um, I'm sorry, Nanny, but I can't get them off right now. Sorry."
"Well, some one should make sure you don't have burns on your back from that internal brace of yours. Maybe you should go and see Dr. Gorma for a check up," Nanny suggested. "Goddess knows that all the blows you young people take, it's amazing no one has broken their neck! And why are you wearing make up, Keith? In my day, gentlemen did not wear make out, outside of sunscreen."
"Nanny's right, you do look like you're auditioning for KISS," Lance laughed and handed Keith a handkerchief.
Keith wiped his face off. "I guess my eye liner ran with all the sweating we do in battle," Keith laughed.
Allura took a small, lacy handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped down her face. "Mine ran too," She giggled.
"And, Princess, what were you doing going out in public dressed like that?" Nanny demanded. "What would people think if they saw you?"
"Nanny, no one cared how I looked. I fit in with the other people at the club," Allura said calmly.
"What club did you take the Princess to?" Nanny spun around and yelled at Keith.
"The Fallen Angel," Keith answered, rubbing his back.
"What? You took the Princess to that dive?"
"It was my idea, Nanny," Allura defended Keith. "And we had fun! We were in the Mosh Pit and had fun. Keith and I even went speaker diving and crowd surfing."
"What is a Mosh Pit, Princess?" Coran asked.
"It's a pit near the front of the club where people slam into each other. It's great fun," Allura said.
"Fun? The last time Keith talked me into going into one of those things I ended up with three broken ribs and we barely escaped being arrested when a big fight broke out in the pit! Good thing Keith knew the fastest exit out of there. Wait a minute, how did you know where those hidden exits were?" Lance narrowed his brown eyes at his best friend.
Keith laughed. "Because at the Ninth Circle, a fight breaks out once a night, at least. Most of the time, the police aren't called. But that fight was a big one. Oh come on, Lance, admit it, you had fun. And you were punching and kicking with the best of them!"
"You took the Princess to a club where a fight could break out? You took her into this… this pit? Are you insane, Keith?" Nanny yelled in Keith's face.
Keith leaned back. "Hey, it was fun. It's a great way to blow off steam."
"You took her into a pit then…what is this speaker diving and crowd surfing? It sounds dangerous, what ever it is."
"Speaker diving means going up on top of the huge speakers they have on the stage and jumping off. The skill is in waiting until the bouncers are just about to grab you before you jump. It takes practice and timing. But Princess picked it up on her first try. She even teased the bouncers and the drummer," Keith praised Allura.
"WHAT?" Nanny screamed. "How dare you…"
"Bye, Nanny," Allura laughed and ran out of the Control Room with the rest of the Voltron Force behind her. Nanny steamed and sputtered. Coran quietly laughed.
The Voltron Force ran to the recreation room and snickered. "Wow, that was funny, watching Nanny explode like that," Pidge grinned. "Did you two really go speaker diving?" Keith and Allura nodded. "That's so cool!"
"It was fun," Keith said. He wiped sweat off his face. "I could use a quick shower."
"Me too," Allura agreed.
"And I'll come and check your back," Lance shook his head. "So, you two go to your own showers."
"Lance!" Keith and Allura both smacked Lance upside the head.
"Ow!" Lance rubbed his head. The trio walked down the hallway. Keith's room was first.
"I'll see you in the recreation room, Princess," Keith said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Allura smiled and caressed Keith's face.
"Okay, you two, let's go," Lance pushed Keith towards his door. Once inside, Keith took off his sweat-soaked tee-shirt and tossed it down the laundry chute. Keith sat on his bed and bent down to untie his combat boots then stopped with a groan. "Want me to take them off?" Lance knelt down beside his best friend.
"Yeah. Stupid back," Keith leaned back.
"Maybe you should go to the doctor and have that brace checked out. Maybe the doctors here on Arus can help you. They are more advanced than Earth doctors."
"Maybe later. I don't have time to be laid up," Keith shook his head. Once the boots were unlaced, he kicked them off. He stood back up to slide off his jeans.
"Turn around, Keith and let me check that back of yours," Lance stood up. Keith sighed and turned around, exposing his scarred lower back. "It looks a little pink, but not too bad."
"That's good. It just feels stiff," Keith said. He opened the door to the attached bathroom and went in. Lance followed.
"So how was your date with the Princess?" Lance asked.
"It wasn't a date."
"Oh yes it was. She asked you out. Ergo it was a date," Lance smirked. "So, tell! What was it like?"
Keith stepped into the shower and turned it on. "It was nice."
"What, no steamy details? C'mon, Keith, you can tell me."
Keith soaped up his spiky hair. "Lance, why do you want to know what happened?"
"Because when you answered your communicator, the Princess was sitting on your lap. And you swore when you answered. Not your usual "holy Cheezits" either, but real swearing. So I interrupted something. So, tell me what I interrupted."
"Lance, maybe it's none of your business what you interrupted," Keith stuck his head out of the shower.
"No way, Big Brother. We've never kept secrets from each other. Besides, if you two are getting serious, the Princess needs to know about all the trouble you got into as a kid."
"And you'd know all about it since you were always right with me when it happened," Keith stuck out his tongue.
"Well, what happened?"
"We kissed okay? Once in the Mosh Pit and once at the table. Allura was sitting on my lap because the only table left had one seat."
"Yes!" Lance threw up his fists into the air. "You almost got lucky there, pal."
"Lance, will you get your mind out of the gutter?"
"I'm serious. The Princess likes you. God knows you like her. How many nights have we spent talking about the fact that you're in love with the Princess and all the angst you felt because of it?"
"I don't know. I don't keep track of things like that."
"Well, guess what, Keith. According to Benjenne," Lance referred to the head of the Princess' guard and Lance's girlfriend. "She's been angsting about it too. The fact that she loves you, but is afraid that you don't love her. She never said anything because she didn't want to ruin the friendship she has with you."
"She admitted she loved me, in the club," Keith blushed.
"Alright! You will not be a virgin for much longer, Brother!" Lance exclaimed.
"Lance, you, mind, gutter, out," Keith ducked back into the shower to rinse off.
Lance laughed and went out into the bedroom. A few minutes later, Keith joined him with his wet hair hanging over his shoulders. Keith pulled out a new pair of jeans and a red tee-shirt. As soon as he pulled on the jeans, Allura palmed the door open. "Hi, Keith," She smiled. She was wearing low rise jeans and a pink baby doll top. Her still damp hair was pulled into a long French braid.
"Allura, hi," Keith blushed. He stepped back so Allura could come inside.
Allura looked over Keith's room. She paused when she saw an angel doll with real blonde hair cascading down its back and shimmering wings. "She's beautiful. Where did you get her?" Allura picked up the porcelain doll.
"She was my mother's. My dad gave it to her on their wedding day. Dad said that Mom was his angel," Keith explained.
"Isn't that the same doll we "stole" out of your old house," Lance looked over the doll.
"The same one."
"How did you steal this doll?" Allura asked.
"We were eight years old. My parents had died two years before. I hadn't been in the house since the day they were killed. I wanted to go inside but I was afraid that Aunt Charli and Uncle Caleb wouldn't let me go in. So, Lance and I devised a plan to get inside the house ourselves," Keith sat on his bed.
*****************
Eight-year-old Keith Akira Kogane looked up at his house from the McCastlin's back yard. "You thinkin' about the house again, Keith?" Lance Charles McCastlin, Keith's best friend and now brother since the McCastlins had adopted him, asked.
"Yeah. I want to see it. Go inside."
"Why don't you ask Mom and Dad?"
"Because Uncle Caleb and Aunt Charli would say no. They'd probably think it was too upsetting for me. Or something like that," Keith crossed his arms over his skinny chest. Keith paused and thought. A smile crept across his face.
"What's going on in that mind of yours, Keith," Lance asked, excited. Keith's ideas almost always meant fun and possibly being grounded.
"We're going to break in. Tonight. It's Friday, so we don't have school in the morning. We'll have all night to explore," Keith said.
"How will we get in?"
"The back door. Uncle Tommy taught us how to pick locks," Keith referred to Lance's uncle, a private investigator. "So, we can pick the lock on the back door and go in," Keith sat back on the grass. He looked over the large back yard. No fence separated the McCastlin and Kogane houses, giving the two boys ample space for their pretend adventures.
"Okay," Lance grinned. "We should get stuff together too. I don't know what we'll need."
"Food, something to drink. Those night-vision goggles that Uncle Bean gave us. Our back packs. I can't think of anything else. Oh gloves so we don't leave finger prints. Lance, don't wear your new shoes. They squeak. We gotta be quiet."
"Right, Captain," Lance teased his best friend. "There's Mom," Lance said as his mother, Charlene McCastlin, waved from the back porch.
"Boys, dinner!" She called out.
"Coming, Aunt Charli!" Keith yelled for both of the boys. Lance and Keith scampered across the yard and into the house.
"Oh, you two, get washed up. We're having chicken pot pie for dinner and strawberry pie for dessert," Charli ruffled Keith and Lance's hair.
"Yum!" Lance yelled as the pair ran to the downstairs bathroom and almost ran over Caleb McCastlin as he walked in from the living room.
"Boys, watch where you are going!" Caleb called out.
"Sure, Dad," Lance said as the pair ran into the bathroom.
Once inside the bathroom, Keith whispered to Lance. "Get your dad's security code so we don't set off the alarm when we leave the house."
"I know where he keeps a copy of it. I'll get it after they go to bed," Lance promised.
The boys washed up and joined Charli and Caleb at the table. After a short blessing, Charli put individual pot pies in front of everyone. Caleb ate while he looked over a letter that arrived just before dinner. "I have good news, boys. Your Uncle Gene has a week-long pass from the Space Marines. He's coming for a visit."
"UNCLE BEAN'S COMING!" Lance and Keith yelled happily. At a year old, neither Keith or Lance could pronounce "Gene" and renamed Gene McCastlin "Bean" and had called him than ever since.
"Inside voices," Charli reminded the pair.
"Sorry, Aunt Charli," Keith blushed.
The family chatted about the day's events during dinner. As soon as everyone had their fill of strawberry pie and vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, Caleb and the boys cleared the table and loaded up the dish washer. Charli programmed the dishwasher to clean and dry the dishes. They settled into the living room, Caleb and Charli watching the local news while Keith and Lance finished up the last of their home work.
With Autumn's grasp firmly on San Francisco, night came early. And just as early came Lance and Keith's bed time. The boys did not protest as they went upstairs. Instead, as soon as they were in their big room, they hurriedly packed their back packs and hid them under their beds. They crawled into bed before Charli and Caleb came in.
"Good night, boys," Charli kissed both boys on top of their heads. "And try to get some sleep and not spend up all night playing like you did last Friday night."
"Sure, Mom," Lance smirked.
Charli rolled her eyes and left. Keith and Lance listened to the noise downstairs as they waited for Caleb and Charli to retire for the night. "Boy, adults sure like to stay up late," Lance grumbled. "But they won't let us stay up past 8."
"I guess it's one of those adult privileges. Like driving," Keith shrugged his shoulders. "Or being able to have beer."
"Well it stinks," Lance huffed.
"Shh…they're coming up the stairs," Keith warned Lance. Both boys pulled the covers up around themselves and pretended to be asleep.
Caleb opened the door and looked in. "How are they?" Charli whispered.
"Fast asleep," Caleb smiled.
"Good. Let's let them rest."
Caleb eased the door shut. Keith opened one eye. He slipped out of bed and pressed his ear to the door. He could hear Caleb and Charli walking down to their bedroom and the door closing. "It's safe," Keith murmured. "Let's get dressed."
Lance got out of bed and pulled on black jeans and a black sweat shirt. He pulled on dark blue boots. Keith also wore black jeans and black sweat shirt. His boots were dark red. The boys slipped out of their room. In the hallway, they heard Caleb open his bedroom door. Keith and Lance hopped into the hallway closet. Caleb, yawning and scratching his stomach, mumbled "Pie." Keith and Lance giggled softly. They could hear Caleb rummaging through the fridge for the left over strawberry pie.
"Oh, great, figures Dad would want a midnight snack," Lance groaned. "Why can't we have a midnight snack?"
"Another adult perk," Keith sighed. "Shh, he's coming back up the stairs. I hope he left some pie."
Caleb came up with a red-smeared mouth and went back to bed. "He looked like he was wearing lipstick!" Lance snickered.
"Men don't wear lipstick," Keith said.
"Some men do," Lance shook his head.
"I know I'd never wear lipstick," Keith proclaimed.
*****************
Allura interrupted the tale with giggles. "Well, you said you'd never wear lipstick," She grinned. "I guess you were wrong about that."
"I don't wear it all the time," Keith protested.
"No, but you do wear lipstick," Lance snickered at his best friend.
"Do you want to hear the rest of this story?" Keith asked Allura.
"Sure."
"Well, once Uncle Caleb went back to bed, Lance and I snuck downstairs. Lance knew exactly where Uncle Caleb kept the code for the security system…"
*****************
Lance climbed onto the china cabinet and pulled down a small jar that once held tea. Lance opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Keith. Keith looked at the numbers, memorizing it. Then he handed it back to Lance. Lance replaced the code into the jar and put the jar back. He slowly climbed down the china cabinet. The pair went into the kitchen and punched the code into the back door security panel. The light went red then out. Keith unlocked the door and eased it open. The pair slipped outside and ran down the steps. Quickly, the boys dashed towards the Kogane back porch. Before they could work on the lock, a police car drove down the alley. The boys hid behind two large chairs until the patrol car passed.
"Whew," Lance wiped the sweat off his brow. "That was close. I forgot about the regular neighborhood patrols."
"Let's get into the house before he comes back," Keith said.
Lance pulled out his home made lock pick kit and worked on the lock. It took him several minutes to unlock the door. "Get inside," He waved to Keith. Lance followed behind him and shut the door.
The boys paused in the kitchen. Against the wall stood the small table and four chairs. Keith looked through the cabinets. All were empty. "Where did everything go, Lance?" He asked his best friend.
"Mom and Dad said they had stuff in storage for you. For when you get older," Lance said.
"Oh," Keith frowned. They walked into the large dining room. The big table, chairs and an empty china cabinet rested in that room. In the living room, only the TV was missing. Keith walked beside the couch and paused. A flash of white caught his eye. "Hey," He bent down and picked up an angel doll. "This was Mom's," He said and hugged it. "How did it end up here?"
"Maybe it got knocked down when Mom and Dad were packing things up?" Lance suggested.
"Maybe," Keith agreed. "I'm taking her with us. She was Mom's. I wonder if she was lonely. I mean two years in this house with no one else."
"I don't know if dolls can get lonely, Keith," Lance frowned. "Do you want to go into the basement before we head upstairs?"
"I don't know. We aren't allowed in the basement," Keith's basic lawful tendencies surfaced briefly.
"Keith, we just broke into a house. I think we can go down to the basement," Lance laughed.
Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of the Kogane house. Keith pulled Lance down to the floor. The boys crept over to the big bay window and peered over. "Holy Cheezits! It's the cops!" Keith exclaimed.
A police officer knocked on the McCastlins' door. Caleb opened it. "What's wrong, Officer?" Caleb asked, worried.
"We got a silent alarm from the Kogane house. The records say to contact you, sir," The officer explained.
"A silent alarm? Oh my. There's nothing but furniture to steal in there," Caleb said. He pulled on a pair of shoes and his coat.
"If you wish, sir, we can examine the outside of the house," The officer offered.
"Lance, go and lock the back door!" Keith ordered.
"Right!" Lance slunk off to the kitchen and locked the back door. He then rejoined his friend. "I didn't think there was an alarm on this house. It's empty!" Lance confessed.
"Me either. I guess we just wait now," Keith sighed.
The officer rattled the doors. "They appear to be locked, Mr. McCastlin."
"It might have been a short in the system. We keep just enough power on in the house to run the security system," Caleb mused.
"That might be it, sir," The officer nodded his head.
"Well, I'll go in tomorrow and check the system. Disregard any more alarms from this house," Caleb ordered.
"Very well, sir," The officer saluted and left.
Keith and Lance let out a sigh of relief. "That was close. We could have been arrested!" Lance exclaimed.
"I don't think we'd be arrested. We're only eight-years-old, after all," Keith shook his shaggy black hair.
"Well, let's go and check out the basement."
"Okay," Keith agreed. The boys opened the basement door and walked down the creaking steps. As they entered the first room of the basement, the game room, Keith sighed. Only the pool table remained. The big television, the cupboard of mini discs, the gaming system was all gone. The mini-fridge sat empty. The next room held the washer, dryer, and a half-bath. The farthest room held the boiler, furnace and water heater. The room was draped in dust and cobwebs. A space rat ran across Lance's foot.
Lance gulped and gripped Keith's free hand. "This is creepy. I can see why Mom and Dad won't let us in the basement alone."
"Your parents' basement is different. It's not scary. Mom and Dad's basement wasn't scary before…"
"I never thought about it," Lance admitted. "Can we go upstairs now?"
"Sure. You're the one who wanted to come down here in the first place."
"I was wrong. Let's go upstairs," Lance pulled his friend towards the stairs. The boys ran upstairs and up to the second floor. "Let's check out the attic," Lance suggested.
"Sure, we'll probably find bats up there," Keith said.
The stairs to the attic loomed long and dark. Slowly, Keith and Lance crawled up the steps. As they drew nearer to the door, they heard chirps and squeaks. "Bats?" Lance whimpered. Keith shook his head. He pushed open the door. A family of squirrels looked up at the intrusion. "Squirrels! Cute! Too bad we don't have any nuts for them," Lance grinned. A large squirrel looked up at Lance and threw an acorn at him. The squirrels chattered. "Ow!"
"I think they're laughing at you," Keith giggled. "Let's leave them alone."
"Sure. Stupid bushy-tailed rats," Lance rubbed his face.
Downstairs, Keith pushed open the door to his old room. "It's empty," He frowned.
"Yeah, Keith, all your stuff is in my room, remember? We share a room now."
"I know. It's just…"
"You were expecting something to be here, right?" Lance put a hand on Keith's shoulder.
"Yeah. Let's go," Keith turned away from the memories of his old room. The boys bypassed the bathroom. Keith stopped at the last door on the floor. His parents' bedroom. Keith slowly pushed it open. The king-sized bed stood in the middle of the room. It was coated in dust and bare of any sheets and pillows. The dressers and vanity were empty. The closet also held nothing. Keith sniffled and crawled into the bed. He curled up around the doll.
"Keith?" Lance sat next to his friend. "Keith, are you alright?"
"They're gone," Keith whispered. "They're really gone," He sobbed. Keith curled up tighter around the angel doll. "My parents are dead," He cried. His back shook with the cries. Lance sat on the dusty bed, helpless. Keith sobbed for several minutes then quieted down.
"Keith?" Lance asked fearfully. Keith did not answer. Lance looked at his friend and saw him asleep. Lance sighed and curled up next to his best friend.
As morning dawned over the city, Charli McCastlin opened the door to Keith and Lance's room. "Boys, breakfast," She called out. She screamed when she saw the empty beds.
Caleb ran to his wife. "What's wrong?"
"The boys aren't in their beds!" Charli pointed to the beds. "Where could they have gone?"
Caleb looked over the room. "Their backpacks are missing. And those goggles Gene gave them. Black jeans and sweat shirts also missing. I know where they are," Caleb shook his head.
"Where?" Charli asked.
"I bet Keith wanted to go home," Caleb answered. He kissed his wife on the cheek and promised to be back with the boys by the time she was finished making pancakes. Caleb went next door and opened the door. He turned off the alarm. He looked around down stairs then went upstairs. He knew which was the only room that had a bed. Caleb paused at the door to Keith's parents' room. He sighed then opened it. "Well, I found the cause of the short," He chuckled. "Keith? Lance?" Caleb called out. He gently shook Lance.
"Uh-oh," Lance sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Keith, Keith? We're busted," He poked Keith's shoulder.
Keith sat up, his face stained with dust and tears. His black eyes were dull. "Oh, Keith," Caleb hugged his adopted son. "If you had wanted to come here, all you had to do was ask," Caleb ruffled Keith's hair.
"Yes, Uncle Caleb," Keith said dully.
"Come on, boys, you both need a shower and Charli is frying up pancakes," Caleb helped Keith and Lance off the bed.
"Uncle Caleb," Keith tugged on Caleb's shirt.
"Yes, Keith?"
"I want to visit Mom and Dad," Keith requested. He looked down.
"After breakfast, you can go. We can even stop at the flower shop and get you some flowers to give them," Caleb promised.
"Thank you," Keith whispered.
Charli hugged Lance and Keith as soon as they stepped through the front door. "Oh, you two. My heart just stopped when I found your beds empty!" She scolded. "And how did you get so dirty? Is the house that dusty? I must go and clean it then. And since you boys decided to go exploring, you can help me clean," She insisted.
"Charlene," Caleb shook his head. "Let's let the boys get cleaned up. We have to talk."
"Okay. Oh, Keith, what are you holding?" Charli asked, looking down at the boy.
"She was Mom's. I'm keeping her," Keith clutched the doll to his chest.
"Of course, Keith. She's yours now. But how about I clean her up while you and Lance get cleaned up," Charli knelt down in front of Keith.
"Okay. Aunt Charli?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Do you have any pictures of Mom and Dad? I don't have any."
"How about after we visit the cemetery, we stop by the storage warehouse and find a picture of your parents for you to put on your nightstand."
"Okay. Thank you. And I'm sorry we scared you," Keith hugged his adopted aunt.
*****************
"Oh, Keith, that's so sad," Allura wiped tears from Keith's face. "No wonder that doll is so special."
"She's been with me ever since. Even when I was in the Space Academy. No one made fun of me for it, either."
"You and Lance went into the Academy together?" Allura asked. She picked the picture of Keith's parents. Keith's father, Akira, was Japanese, born and raised in San Francisco's Japan Town. Keith's mother, Meyong, was Chinese was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but was raised by her parents in San Francisco's China Town.
"Yep. We even shared a room. In fact, living in this castle is the first time since Keith and I were six that we haven't shared a room," Lance said. He paused. "I hear Nanny coming!"
"Allura, hide in the bathroom," Keith ordered. Allura nodded and ran into the bathroom. Just as the door closed, Nanny knocked at the front door. Keith opened his bedroom door. "Hello, Nanny."
"Keith, how is your back?" Nanny asked.
"Just fine. All I needed was a good shower to loosen it up."
"And have you seen Dr. Gorma?"
"No. I'll see him tomorrow, I promise," Keith groaned. "Is there something you need?"
"The mail has come. And you, Lance, Pidge and Hunk have packages from Earth. The packages are in the recreation room. And Coran said that an important communiqué just came in from Galaxy Garrison for you," Nanny informed Keith.
"Thank you, Nanny," Keith smiled at her.